Biometric solutions certainly aren’t a new concept to those working in higher education and the auxiliaries. But with concerns around hygiene and the desire to touch fewer surfaces around campus at an all-time high, the conversation could be reignited. One biometrics technology provider, Princeton Identity, is expanding its portfolio of touchless face and iris biometric offerings with an eye specifically on the university market.

One of the most common campus implementations for biometric technology is in the dining hall, where quickly sending large numbers of students through a turnstile is vital. One university that seems particularly eager to deploy biometrics in this manner is Dartmouth University, where campus dining personnel are considering a future rollout.

Auburn University has updated and expanded the biometric access system used at its athletic facilities. Biometric security systems provider Princeton Identity Inc., is providing its new IDS software and Access200 iris readers as part of the latest system update.

The Bulldawg Box Program is the University of Georgia’s answer to food waste and disposable containers in campus dining halls. The program is now available on campus for all students on a university meal plan..

Georgia Southern University is expanding the use of iris biometric access to include the campus’ state-of-the-art Recreation Activity Center. The expansion will has deploy an integrated access solution so only members can enter the facility.

The early signs are positive that a new iris biometric system at the University of Georgia will be a hit on campus once student return to campus this fall. Georgia recently deployed new iris scanners across its campus to facilitate entry to dining halls and the student rec center. The project has replaced the previous hand geometry scanners.

Biometrics is now being used to facilitate a range of physical and logical access, secure ID verification for payments and other utilities, and it’s the technology that millions of people now use to unlock their phone each day. But on campus, biometric technology wasn’t always so pervasive, so we’re taking a look back to 2004 and our “Bolt-on biometrics for the college campus” story that discussed ways campuses could get started with the technology.

The University of Georgia will be using iris biometrics to enable student access to dining halls and rec center beginning with the coming fall semester. The implementation of iris biometrics comes as part of an initiative that will replace the current hand geometry readers and card swipe access methods.

Whether it’s misinformation, concerns over personal data or a general reticence over the implementation of new technology, biometric solutions on campus are still not pervasive. Still, successful university deployments of biometrics for access control, privilege control and authentication have already demonstrated the power of the technology. With this in mind we spoke to ColorID’s biometric specialist, Tim Ortscheid, about campus deployments and discussed security vs. convenience.

The tide of identification technology is changing the way people think about credentials. Popular opinion regarding the use of newer identification solutions, like mobile ID and biometrics, has begun to shift. There may not be a better time for higher education to start exploring the use of biometrics, so tune in to part two of Blackboard’s “Modern Credentials” webinar series detailing biometrics.